Motor-driven rotary digging apparatus



Nov. 30, 1948.

H. G. TRAVER MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS I 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 31, 1944 Nov. 30, 1948. H. G..TRAVER MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 31, 1944 Nov. 30, 1948. I VH-IG. TRAVER 2,455,148

MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS i BY v d L a. I I HTZ'bF/WS'Y Nov. 30, 1948. H. G. TRAVER 2,455,143

MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS Original Filed March 31, 1944 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. .6. 6'. Trauer i BY 4 Nov. 30, 1948. H. G. TRAVER 2,455,148

MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS Original Filed March 51. 1944 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. )5. 6- Tray-er lYTTOF/VEY H. G. TRAVER 2,455,148

MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS Original Filed Maren 31, 1944 7 She'ets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. l2. 6'. Travel NOV. 30, 1 948. I H, TRAVER 2,455,148

MOTOR DRIVEN ROTARY meeme APPARATUS Original Filed March 31, 1944 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 irrmzm'y I Patented Nov. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES ATET OFFIE MOTOR-DRIVEN ROTARY DIGGING APPARATUS Harry G. Traver, Cranford, N. J.

12 Claims.

This invention relates to agricultural apparatus for breaking, working and tilling the land or ground and preparing the same for seeding and raising of crops, and particularly to a tractor section and means to raise and lower traction wheels of said tractor section and actuate land working and tilling means carried by the tractor section into and out of working position, which were divided out of my copending application Serial No. 528,937 filed March 31, 1944. i

It is an object of the invention to provide in land working and tilling apparatus of this charactor a tractor section having a supporting structurefor a shaft carrying digger blades and power means carried by the supporting structure operatively connected to and rotating the shaft with the digger blades, and traction wheels driven from the power means and carried by means pivotally mounted on and adapted to support the supporting structure, and means to connect said traction wheel carrying means to and disconnect the same from the power means to lower the traction wheels and elevate the supporting structure to support the supporting structure by the traction wheels with the land working digger blades out of engagement with the ground, and propel the apparatus by the traction wheels, and raise the traction wheels, and lower the supporting structure to engage the land working digger blades with and cause said digger blades to enter the ground to a predetermined depth to work the land and propel the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide in land working and tilling apparatus of this character means rotatably carried by the supporting ing onsaid cutter means to clear such material from said cutter means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, there is shown land work ing and tilling apparatus embodying the invention, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 2 is a side elevation looking at the bottom of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale,

of the tractor section of the apparatus, partly in section, to show themeans to connect the traction Wheel carrying means to the power means to raise the traction wheels and support the supporting structure of the tractor section by the land breaking and loosening digger blades, and

to lower the traction wheels and raise the supporting structure with the land breakin and loosening blades out of engagement with the ground.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the tractor section of the apparatus'looking at the bottom of Figure 3 and, showing the traction wheels in dotted lines lowered in engagement with the land and supporting the tractor section with the digger blades out of engagement with the ground and showing in full lines the traction Wheels raised out of supporting position. a

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of part of the green manure and trash cutting means taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the means for removing from the cutting means cut green manure and other foreign substances accumulated thereon.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows. I v

' Figure 7 is a front elevational view of a portion of the digger blades for breaking and loosening the land mounted on supporting and rotating shafts therefor and showing scrapers for scraping soil and other foreign substances from the blades and cutters associated therewith.

Figure 8 is a view looking at the right of Figure 7 and also showing in connection therewith means to clearforeign substances from the land breaking and loosening blades.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of one of the land breaking and loosening blades, the section being taken on the line 99 of Figure '7.

Figure 10 is an elevational view of an end portion of the shaft carrying the land breaking and loosening blades and means for removing from the blades foreign substances accumulated thereon and showing means for driving the latter. from the blade carrying shaft.

Figure ll is a view. looking at the right of Figure 10 from line I l--| l.

Figure 12 is an elevational. view of a hub member on which the digger blades are fixed adapted to be independently mounted on the operating shaft therefor and arranged to operatively couple together juxtaposed blade carrying hubs.

Figure 13 is a view of an end portion of a modified green manure and trash cutter shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 14 is a sectional view taken on the line I l-l4 of Figure 13 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing means mounted on carrying arms for the green manure and trash cutters for removing from the cutters green-manure and other foreign substances accumulated thereon.

Figure 15 is a longitudinal sectional view to show the rotatable mounting of hollow shafts upon which the hubs carrying the-land breaking and loosening blades and cutter mounted to rotate therewith. t

Figure 16 is a rear elevational View of another part of the green manure and trash cuttingmeans supported by the tractor section between the' green manure and trash cutting means shown in Figures 5, 6, 13 and 14, and the digger blades.

Figure 1'7 is a view looking at the right hand side of Figure 16.

' The embodiment of the invehtiorf illustrated in the drawings for carrying out the inventionccm pris'saj tractor section, designated in a; general way by A iii Figures" 1', 2, 3 and, arid-a trailer section designated in a general way by Bin Figur's l and 2, and said sections pivotally" con-' nected tohave adjustment one relative't'o' the other on a vertical axis intersecting" the longitudinal centers of the sections, as hereinafter fully described.

tractor section includes a frame consisting of parallelly superposed side members 22, 23', secured in s'uperpos'ed'relation by upright mem: bers ZWand in lateral spaced relation by transverse-members 25L As shown, thetract'or section is propelled by power means, partly shown in a general way as an internal combustion engine at 26 supported upon the transverse members connectingthe upper 'side frame members 22, and said engine operatively 'eonnected to' a drive shaft 21 through a clutch and change speed mechanism, shown in a conventional manner at 28afid 29} respectively. The" clutch is provided with the usual means for engaging and dis'en gaging the clutch, and the change Speed me'cnafifsfri is" enclosed in a housing and profided with the usualactuating means for operatively connecting different elements thereof to rotate the output shaft at different speeds. The output shaft of the change speedmechanism is connectedto the shaft 2'! by a bevel pinion fixed on said output shaft meshing: with a bevel g'ear fixed on the drive shaft, said pinion and gear connection being enclosedin a box or casing mounted upon the fram'e; as" shown at 30 in Figure 3.- The drive shaft 2'!- is jou'rnaled in the sleeve of a bearing member 3l' and a; bearing member 32" fixed upon the upperside frame members 2'2 with the opposite" ends of the shaft projecting from op'osite sides of the framel K pair of traction wheels 33 are connected to the-frame to permit of the raising and lowering crtnensme and traction wheels relative to each other; For this" purpose the tractionwheelsare loosely mounted'on the opposite endportions of a shaft 34 carried at one'en'd of a pair of lever arms- 35 disposed at" the opposite sides of the frame and shown as loosely mounted on drive shaft TI. The traction wheels are rotated from the drive shaft by sprocket chains 36 passing around sprocketwheels (fixed onthe projectin end" portions of the drive shaft and sprocket wheels 38' fixed on the traction wheels;

Means to b'r'eah and loosen the land or ground, shown in dot and dash lines at L, are rotatably disks are carried below the frame forwardly of the traction wheels, and shown as comprising sets of radial digging blades 39 spaced circumferentially about and longitudinally of a shaft 40 extending transversely of and below the frame, and shown as journaled in bearings 51 mounted on a subframe 5 I fixed toand suspended lielow the lower side members 23 of the frame, as shown in Figures 2 and a. Each set of digging blades cons'ists of four blades although a greater or less number may be utilized in each set with the blades mounted on and circumferentially spaced degrees from each other about a disk portion of hub members 42 by engaging one end of the blades in recesses 43 in one face of the hub disks extending radially inwardly from the periphery toward a pair of tubular portions M extending axially from the opposite sides of the disk portion, as shown in Figures '7 to 12, inclusive, and the blades secured therein by bolts 45. The portions of the digger blades 39 outwardly from the portions' at which they are secured to the" diskhubs extend radially outward and are curved in'adirerncrr toward the forward end of the apparates, or in the direction of rotation of said blades, as shbwn in Figures 2, 8 and 11, whereby as the blades are revolved with the rotation of the blades carrying hubs they penetrate into the land or ground for substantially one-third of their length; pass through the land for a pottion of the revolving movement of the blades and then out of the land thereby lifting the land and effecting a breaking up"- and loosening of the land. The end portions of the blades at which. they are secured to the hub disks are substahtiallyflat, and the portion outwardly" therefrom is of'T- shape in cross section, as shown in Figure 9, arid are progressively reduced in cross section or taper to a point within the tips'an'd the tips flattened and arranged of barbed forf'n, as shown at 46:

The shaft 45' extends through and is supported in a hollow shaft which may be 'a single shaft, but preferably consists of a pair of sections 41, 48, as shown in Figure 15, with a pair of ab'u'tments fl'interposed between the inner ends of said hollow shafts and retained on the shaft ll) bycollars pinned on said latter shaft at the outer ends of the hollow shafts, as shown at 53, the hollow shafts being journaled in bearings 5i mounted on the sub-frame M. The digger blade carrying hubs 42 are loosely mounted on the hollow shafts to have rotative adjustment one relative to the other and to be connected to rotate the hubs one from the other and o-peratively conmeet and rotate the hubs in unison with the hollow shafts. For this purpose the ends of the tubular or sleeve portions 44 of the hubs are arranged asa jaw clutch member and the jaw clutch members of, adjacent hubs are adapted to be engaged to couple the hubs together, as shown at 52in Figures'l, 10 and 15. The tubular or sleeve portions 46 at the inner end of the inner hubs are removed, as shown at 53 in Figure 15, and said ends of the hubs abuttingthe ends of a longitudinally split grease retaining and dust excluding member 54 engaged over the abutments 46 and the inner-ends of the tubular shaft's. The digger blade carrying hubs are retained in assembled relation and coupled together by the jaw clutch members i l of adjacent hubs by a sleeve 55' keyed" to the hollow shafts at the outer end of the outermost digger blade carrying hubs, one end ofsaid sleeves being arranged as' a jaw clutch member to engage the clutch jaws on the outer tubular portion of said outer hubs and thereby coupling the digger blade carrying hubs 'to' the hollow shafts to rotate therewith. The outer ends of the sleeves 55- engage'in an annular recess in the end of the bearings the outer annular wall of said recesses serving to retain lubricant in and exclude dust from the bearings. The hollow shafts 4'1, 48 are rotated from the drive shaft 2'! by sprocket chains 56 passing around sprocket wheels 51 fixed on or keyed to the end portions of the drive shaft 21 and sprocket wheels 58 keyed to the end portions of the hollow shafts 41, 48 extending outwardly from the bearings 5|, as shown in Figure 15.

To facilitate breaking and loosening of the land by the digger blades, means are provided to cut or slice the land in the direction of the revolving movement and travel of the digger blades and also cut vegetation, such as a cover crop,stalks and trash. As shown, said means consists of disk cutters 59' engaged upon a tubular portion 4a of the digger blade carrying hubs 42 extendin from the side of the hub disks and in recesses in the hub disks and side of the digger blades.

'The disk cutters are secured to the disk portion of the hubs by the bolts 45 securin the digger blades to the hub disks, the heads of the bolts being recessed into said disk cutters and the nuts on the bolts recessed'into the hub disks. The cutter disks are of less diameter than the circle circumscribed by the digger blades.

During the digging operation of the digger blades 39 and disk cutters 59, soil and other material will adhere to and accumulate on the digger blades and disk cutters, particularly so if the ground is moist, which may interfere with the efficient operation of the land breaking and loosen- -ing means. Means are, therefore, provided to remove from the disk portion of the hub members,

the cutter disks and digger blades any such mate- 1 rial adhering thereto. As shown, said means comprises scrapers 59', 60 of curved form in longitudinal section suspended from bolts 6| between split clamping collars 62 mounted on a shaft 63 fixed to the side frame members 23 and extending I transversely of the frame or supporting structure, the bolts also serving to clamp the scraper carrying collars to said shaft. The scrapers extend downwardly to one side of the tubular portions 44 of the digger blade carryin hubs, the scrapers 59' being disposed relative to; the cutter disks 59 and having a straight edge 64 opposed to said cutter disks and a side of the digger blades. The other scrapers 60' are disposed at the side of the hub disks 42 opposite the disk scrapers 59' and having an offset straight edge portion 65, one of which edge portions is opposed to the hub disks and. the other portion opposed to the opposite side of the digger blades, as shown in Figures '7 and 8.

The scraper carrying collars 62 are of a length to provide spaces between adjacent collars to per- .mit of adjustment of the collars longitudinally on the shaft 63, and the scrapers toward and away from the disk cutters 59, the disk portion of the hubs and the digger blades. Material, particularcircumferentially spaced about and extending radially from hubs 61 fixed on and spaced longitu- -dina l1y of a shaft 68 (Figures 8, 1 0 and 11) extending transversely of the frame and journaled in bearing members 69 fixed to the side members 23 of the frame. The beater blade carrying shaft is rotated from thedigger blade carrying shafts 41, 48 by sprocket-chains 10 passin around sprocket wheels H fixed on the shafts 41, 48 and sprocket wheels I2 fixed on the beater blade carrying'shaft 68, as shownin Figures 10 andll. The heater blades 66 are spaced along the shaft 68 to revolve in paths intermediate the paths of movement of the digger blades 39, as shown in Figure 10, and the beater blades are curved in a direction reverse to the curvature of the digger blades, as shown in Figures. 8 and 11.

To facilitate breaking and working of stubble land, or land having a cover crop, such as oats,

rye or other vegetation to constitute green majsmall size and thus facilitate not only the breaking of the land but also the mixing of thecut vegetation with the land by the land breaking and loosening action of the digger blades, said means comprising cutter means revoluble in a circular path about a horizontal axis of a support extending transversely of the tractor frame for,- wardly of the digger blades. As shown in Figures -5 and done of said cutter means comprises a shaft I3 journaled in bearings fixed on the side members of the sub-frame 4| forwardly of the bearings forthe digger blade carrying shaft 40. Spiders 14 including a hub with arms extending radially therefrom and equidistantly spaced about the same are mounted on and rotatable with the shaftl3 adjacent each end thereof, and one or more of such spiders may be mounted on the shaft equidistantly spaced from the end spiders and each other. Cutting blades 15 are releasably mounted on the ends of the spider arms with the cutting edge portion of the cutting blades projecting from the end of the spider arms, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and extending longitudinally and parallelly of the spider carrying shaft 13. To re,- inforce the end portion of the spider arms relative to which the cutting blades are mounted, the spider arms are made of increased thicknessat the ends for which purpose one surface 16 of the spider arms is-flat and extends to the end of the arms, andthe other surface-of the arms has a portion extending inwardly from the free end and diverging from said surface 76 and merging with a portion converging in a direction toward the spider arms, .as shown at H in Figure 5. The cutting blades are juxtaposed to the flat side of the end portion of increased thickness of the spider arms by clamping members. 18 conforming in shape in longitudinal section to the portion 11 of increased thickness of the spider arms and secured to said arms. The flat surface of the clamping members is recessed for the engagement of the cutting blades, said recesses extending inwardly from the end of the clamping members to anextent slightly greater than one-half the width of the cutting blades and of a depth slightly less than thethickness of the cutting blades, as at 19. The cutting blades are clamped between said recessed portion and the fiat surface of the spider arms with the cutting edge portion of the cutting blades projecting form the end of the spider arms by bolts 80, the head and nuts ofwhich bolts are disposed Within recesses in the portion of increased thickness of the spider arms and the clamping members, as shown in Figure 5.

The vegetation cutter means 14, F5 rotates'in a forward direction and the cutting blades during the cutting operation penetrate more or less'into the surface of the land with the result that soil,

, particularly if the land is moist, and cut vegetatween the arms 81 and links 85, one cable passing around and being guided byperipherally grooved wheels 9|, 92 to and attached at the opposite end to a.-,drum 93 loose onthe drive-shaft 21, and the other cable passing around and guided by wheels 94, 95 toand attached at the opposite end to said drum 93, Figure 3. The drum 93 is adapted to be coupled to and rotate with the drive shaft 21 for which purpose one end of the drum hub extends from one end of the drum and is arranged as a jaw clutch member 96, and a cooperating clutch member 91 is keyed on the drive shaft to rotate with and have sliding movement on said shaft whereby to move said clutch member into and out of engagement with the clutch member on the drum hub. To actuate the clutch member 91, there is provided an angle lever I99 supported, as at 98, to have pivotal movement on a vertical axis on a bracket 99 fixed on and extended inwardly from a top side member 22 of the tractor frame. The bracket 99 also rotatab-ly supports the cable guiding wheels 92, 95. One arm of the lever I99 is bifurcated with the bifurcation legs disposed above and below the clutch member 91, and each of said legs carrying a pin to engage an annular recess I9I in said clutch member. The other arm of the lever I99 is pivotally connected to one end of a rod I92 pivotally connected at the opposite end to an arm I93 fixed on and extending downwardly from a shaft I94 rotatably supported at one end in a bearing in a bracket I95 supported by the frame and the opposite end rotatably supported in a bearing of a bracket I96 mounted upon a top side member 22 of the tractor frame, and said shaft. having a foot actuated lever I 9'! fixed thereon. To couple the cable drum 93 to the drive shaft 27 to rotate .the drum to wind the cables thereon, the foot lever I9! is actuated forwardly and downwardly and when the frame is raised to its uppermost position the rod 86 by the forward movement thereof is engaged in a recessed or hooked portion intermediate the ends of a pair of latches I98 pivotally supported at one end to extend upwardly on the upper side members of the tractor frame when the foot actuated clutch lever I9? is released. The latches I99 are urged into engaging relation with the rod 86 by a spring I99 interposed between the latches and the frame.

To lower the frame to engage the land digging means and the vegetation cutter means into engagement with the land and effect raising movement of the traction wheels, the holding latches I98 are moved out of engagement with the rod 89. For this purpose, links I I9 are pivotally connected atone end to the upper end of the latches and the opposite end of the links pivotally connected to the ends of a shaft III rotatably supported at one end in the bracket I99 and rotatably supported at the opposite end in a bearing I I2 mounted upon an upper side member 22 of the tractor frame, and said shaft rotated to actuate the latches out of engagement with the rod 86 by a foot operated lever H3 fixedon said shaft I I I. To prevent sudden lowering movement of the tractor frame and a sudden engagement of the land digging blades with the land and the possibility of breaking the same, means are providedto effect agradual lowering of the frame, and as shown comprises brake mechanism including a brake drum arranged at one end of the cable drum 93, as at H4, with a brake band H5 engaging about said portion I I4.of the drum with one end of the'band connected to a pin H6 extending laterally from, one arm of a lever II I pivotally supported on a stud fixed in and extending laterally from the bearing 32 for the drive shaft 27, and the opposite end of the brake bandconnected to a pin H8 extending; laterally ironithe other arm of thelever H1. The lever is com nected to the shaft III. carrying the foot actuat ing lever I I3, which constitutes a brake actuating pedal, by a rod I I9 pivotally connected at one end to the lever H1 and at the opposite end to an arm I29 fixed on the shaft I I I. During the initial movement of the brake pedal I I3, the holding latches I98 through their connections with the shaft II I are moved out of engagement with and release the rod 86 when the weight of the frame will tendto cause it to assume a lowered position. To retard and effect a gradual lowering movement of the tractor frame, the brake pedal I I3 is further actuated to frictionally engage the brake band H5 with the drum H8. The frame may be lowered to such an extent relative to the traction wheels that said wheels are out of engagement with the ground in operative land engaging position of the diggers and should the frame be raised due to the diggers engaging and riding over an obstruction the traction wheels will engage with the ground and partially support the frame, the greater portion of the weight of the tractor section however being supported by the digging blades and vegetation cutter means to permit the digging blades to penetrate the land for substantially two-thirds of their length and move the digging blades through and out of the land during the revolving movement thereof and thus serve to propel the tractor section and the trailer section connected thereto.

By the construction and arrangement of the agricultural apparatus for breaking and tilling land preparatory to seeding the land in the raising of crops, the land is broken up and loosened very efliciently, whereas heretofore by the use of a conventional plow a slice of land of from ten to twelve inches in depth is turned over upon itself and in the case of a cover crop on the land to be used as green manure, orhumus spread r upon the land, is buried in the land to a depth of from ten to twelve inches resulting in a slow disintegration of the green manure or humus and before a growing crop can receive any benefit therefrom itis necessary that the roots first grow sufficiently to reach such manure or humus. By the present apparatus, the land is broken up and loosened for a depth of from ten to twelve inches, and while the digger blades effect mixing of the cut cover crop, or humus spread upon the land, such mixing is effected by the digger blades only for a, depth of from-three to six inches from the surface of the land, and the subsequent harrowing of the land effects a working of the land and mixing therewith of fertilizer, green manure and/or humus for a depth not greater than six inches, thus forming the land and fertilizer as a mulch for substantially said depth and as such mulch is subjected to alternate moistening, as by rain, and drying there is effected a quick disintegration of the green manure and/ or humus which is made readily accessible to the roots of a growing crop and effecting a quicker maturing and better crop.

The arms 81 fixed on the shaft 88 and the connection of saidarms with the rod or bar 86, as well as the links 85 connecting said rod 86 with the traction wheel carrying arms 35, the latches I98and the connection of thelatches with the links H9 connecting the latches to the pedal shaft II I, which are disposed at opposite ill sides of g the seat S for the-operator; .may be enclosedby protecting hoods H, as shown inFigures l and 2p It willbe obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction and arrangementof the parts, and-come within the scope of the invention, and that portions of the invention may be used Withoutothers without departing from the scope of the-invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

'l-. ;Apparatus for breaking and working land, a frame, a drive shaft journaled on the frame, a shaft rotatably supported by and extending transversely of the-frame =operatively connected to and rotated from the drive shaft, circumferential-l'y spaced digger blades spaced longitudimay of androtatable with said second shaft operative byathe rotationthereoi to penetrate and move through and-not of the land, a pair of traction wheels, means to connect the traction wheels to the frame and permit -of raising and loweringunovements of the frame and traction wheels relative to each other, means connected to the means connecting the traction wheels to the frame'and operative from the drive shaft to raise the frame and "lower the traction wheels and supportthe fram-eby the traction wheels with thefldigger "blades out of engagement with the 'land, and lower the frame and raise the traction wheels to support the frame by the digger blades and. limit the penetration of the digger blades to a predetermined depth into the land. 2. In apparatus for breaking and'working land, a frame, power means carried by the frame, a drive shaft journaledon the frame and operatively connected to and'irotated from thepower means, idigger means rotatably carried by the frame below and operatively connected to and rotatable from the drive shaft, a pair of tractionwheel's operatively connected to and rotated from the drive shaft, arms disposed at the .opposite sides ofthe frame rotatahly carrying the traction wheelsat one end thereofv and pivotally connectedat the opposite .end to the frame to have movement on an {axis transverse of the frame, and means to'raise'the frame .and'lower the traction wheels, comprising. a rotatable shaft extending transversely oi the "frame rearwardly of and inla planaabove the axis at rotation of the traction'wheels in allpositionsof said-wheels, and armsmounted at. one end on the opposite ,end portions of and extending upwardly from said latter shaft, a rod loosely carried by the opposite-ends of said arms, links pivoted at one endon said, rod and at the opposite end pivotally connectedto the traction wheel carrying arms, a. dr.um loose on the drive-shaft, cables connected at one end to said rod and guided to and connected at the. opposite ends to said-drum, clutch mechanism operativeto connect-and rotate thezdrumirom the drive shaft to wind the cables thereon to raise the frame, and lower thetraction wheels, and latches adapted to engage the rod and support lthe'tramerby the traction wheels in its raised position, i 3. In apparatus for breakingiand working land as ,clai-medinv claim meansto lowernthe frame relative to the: traction wheels to-engage and support the frame-by the digger means uponqthe land andcause said :digger means to penetrate and break the land, comprisingia brake, associated with the ;.cahl'e drum,- allover connected to :and operative to release the-latches fromfthe frame t2 holding means and actuate the :brake to control the lowering movement of :the frame. I

4. In apparatus fortbreaking and working land, a frame, power-"means carried by the frame, a drive shaft journaled on. the frame and operativelv connected to and rotated from the power means, digger means rotatably carried by :the frame below and .operatively connected to and rotatable from the drive shaft, 3, pair of tractioniwheels operatively connected to and rotated from the drive shaft, arms disposed at theiopposite sides of the frame rotatably carrying the traction wheels at one end thereof and pivotally connected at the opposite end to the frame to have movement on an axis transverse of the frame, means connected to the arms to raise the frame and lower the traction wheels, and means to connect and actuate said frame raising and traction Wheel lowering means from the drive shaft.

'5. In apparatus for breaking and working-land, a frame, traction wheels, means rotatahly carrying the traction wheel's :pivotally connected to-the frame and" adapted for raising and lowering of the vframe and traction wheels relativeto each other, digger blades rotatably carried by the frame, cutter disks associated with the digger blades and of less diameter than the circle circumscribed by the revolving movement of the digger blades to out the :land into strips, cutter means for cutting a cover crop and other vegetationrotatab'ly carried by the frame, and means to Loperatively engage the digger blades with the disk cutters and vegetation cutter means with the land and raise saidadigger blades with the disk cutters'zand vegetation cutter mean-s out of engagement with the'land.

6. Apparatus for breaking and working land as claimed. inclaim '5, wherein the cutter means for cutting a cover crop and other vegetation, comprises a rotatable shafit, cutting "blades mounted on the snail; to extend longitudinally thereof and spaced radially from and circumferential-ly about the axis oftheshait, and yieldingmean-scarried by the cutter means in the spaces between and within the cutting blades to have 'inwardly and'ontwardly yielding movement operative for the removing of. out: vegetation and other material accumulated on the cutter means;

7. Apparatus for breaking and working land as claimed in: claim 5, wherein: the cutter means for cutting a cover cropand other vegetation, comprises 'aseri-es of cutting :blades, a rotatable support mounted on the frame, the. blades being mounted on the rotatablesupport toextend longitudinally of the support and in radial and circumferentially spaced relation to the: axis of the suppcrtyielding' means carriediby' the blade support in the spaces-between and within the cutblades adapted tic-have compressiblemovement-inwardly of the cutting blades, and plates carried by said. yielding means extending longitudinally of and within'the cutting blades adapted to compress; the yielding means by the accumulatiorr oi cut'vegetation and othermaterial on the cutting blades-during: the cutting operation and movement. of said plates outwardly by the yielding means removing said accumhlatedvegetatiom and otheinmateiiial tram-the. cuttingblades during-:thez=mnvement oil the cutting blades out ofcuttin pflsition.

8. Imapparatus fcrbre'aking and working land, a frame, traction wheels adjustably mounted? on the frame-,cdigger means rotatably carried-by the frame, a. series of cutting hlades rotatably supported by the frame in advance of the digger means and extending transversely of the frame to cut a cover crop and other vegetation, a series of cutting disks rotatably carried by the frame between the cutting blades and digger means with the disks extending longitudinally of the frame to successively cut the cover crop and other vegetation cut by the cutting blades transversely of the cut made by the cutting blades, and means to adjust the traction wheels into engagement with the land to support the frame and position the digger means and the cutting blades and disks out of engagement with the land, and adjust the traction Wheels out of engagement with the land and position the digger means and the cutting blades and disks into operative engagement with the land with the digger means supporting the frame.

9. Apparatus for breaking and working land as claimed in claim 8, wherein the series of cutting disks are adjustably mounted, and means to adjust the cutting disks out of and into engagement with the land independently of the adjustment of the traction wheels.

10. Apparatus for breaking and working land as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cutting disks enter the land to approximately one-quarter of the diameter of said disks when the traction wheels are adjusted out of engagement with the land.

11. In apparatus for breaking and working land, a frame, traction wheels adjustably mounted on the frame, a shaft rotatably supported by the frame, a series of yoke members adjustably mounted on the shaft and pivoted on an axis extending transversely of the shaft and pivotally III connected to each other, a series of cutting disks rotatably carried by the yoke members, means carriedby the frame and connected to the shaft to rotate the shaft and adjust the cutting disks into and out of engagement with the land, digging means rotatably carried by the frame to the rear of the shaft, and means carried by the frame and connected to the traction wheels to adjust the traction wheels into traction engagement with the land to support the frame with the digging means and cutting disks out of engagement with the land, and adjust the traction wheels out of engagement with the land and position the digging means and cutting disks into operative engagement With the land with the digging means supporting the frame.

12. In apparatus for breaking and working land as claimed in claim 11, scrapers carried by the yoke members to engage opposite sides of the cutting disks above the axis of rotation of said disks and remove material from said disks.

HARRY G. TRAVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,301,043 Daugherty Apr. 15, 1919 1,343,866 Greene June 15, 1920 1,916,330 Nordstrom July 4, 1933 2.007.646 Gilbertson July 9. 1935 2.066.610 Carlin Jan. 5. 1937 2.164 845 Steed et al. Julv 4, 1939 

